|
LIVES OF THE GINAS.
First Lecture.
Obeisance to the
Arhats!
Obeisance to the Liberated Ones!
Obeisance to the Religious Guides!
Obeisance to the Religious Instructors!
Obeisance to all Saints in the World!
This fivefold
obeisance, destroying all sins, is of all benedictions the
principal benediction.
In that period, in
that age lived the Venerable Ascetic Mahavira, the five (most
important moments of whose life happened) when the moon was in
conjunction with the asterism Uttaraphalguni; to wit, in
Uttaraphalguni he descended (from heaven), and having descended
(thence), he entered the womb (of Devananda); in Uttaraphalguni
he was removed from the womb (of Devananda) to the womb (of
Trisala); in Uttaraphalguni he was born; in Uttaraphalguni,
tearing out his hair, he left the house and entered the state of
houselessness; in Uttaraphalguni he obtained the highest
knowledge and intuition, called Kevala, which is infinite,
supreme, unobstructed, unimpeded, complete, and perfect. But in
Svati the Venerable One obtained final liberation. (1)
End of the First
Lecture.
Second
Lecture.
In that period, in
that age the Venerable Ascetic Mahavira, having on the sixth day
of the fourth month of summer, in the eighth fortnight, the
light (fortnight) of Ashadha, descended from the great Vimana,
the all-victorious and all-prosperous Pushpottara, which is like
the lotus amongst the best things, where he had lived for twenty
Sagaropamas till the termination of his allotted length of life,
of his (divine nature, and of his existence (among gods); here
in the continent of Gambudvipa, in Bharatavarsha,-when of this
Avasarpini era the Sushamasushama, the Sushama, and
Sushamaduhshama periods, and the greater part of the
Duhshamasushama period (containing a Kodakodi [a koti of kotis
or 100,000,000,000,000] of Sagaropamas, less forty-two thousand
years) had elapsed, and only seventy-two years, eight and a half
months were left, after twenty-one Tirthakaras of the race of
Ikshvaku and of the Kasyapa gotra, and two of the race of Hari
and of the Gautama gotra, on the whole twenty-three Tirthakaras
had appeared,-the Venerable Ascetic Mahavira, the last of the
Tirthakaras, took the form-of an embryo in the womb of Devananda,
of the Galandhariyana gotra, the wife of the Brahmana
Rishabhadatta, of the gotra of Kodala, in the brahmanical part
of the town Kundagrama in the middle of the night, when the moon
was in conjunction with the asterism Uttaraphalguni, after his
allotted length of life, of his (divine) nature, and of his
existence (amongst gods) had come to their termination. (2)
The knowledge of
the Venerable Ascetic Mahavira (about this) was threefold; he
knew that he was to descend, he knew that he had descended, he
knew not when he was descending.
In that night in
which the Venerable Ascetic Mahavira took the form of an embryo
in the womb of the Brahmani Devananda of the Galandharayana
gotra, the Brahmani Devananda was on her couch, taking fits of
sleep, in a state between sleeping and waking, and having seen
the following fourteen illustrious, beautiful, lucky, blest,
auspicious, fortunate great dreams, she woke up.- (3) To wit:
An elephant, a
bull, a lion, the anointing (of the goddess Sri), a garland, the
moon, the sun, a flag, a vase, a lotus lake, the ocean, a
celestial abode, a heap of jewels, and a flame. (4)
When the Brihmani
Devananda, having seen these dreams, woke up, she-glad, pleased,
and joyful in her mind, delighted, extremely enraptured, with a
heart widening under the influence of happiness, with the hair
of her body all erect in their pores like the flowers of the
Kadamba touched by rain-drops- firmly fixed the dreams (in her
mind), and rose from her couch. Neither hasty nor trembling,
with a quick and even gait, like that of the royal swan, she
went to the Brahmana Rishabhadatta, and gave him the greeting of
victory. Then she comfortably sat down in an excellent chair of
state; calm and composed, joining the palms of her hands so as
to bring the ten nails together, she laid the folded hands on
her head, and spoke thus: (5)
O beloved of the
gods, I was just now on my couch taking fits of sleep, in a
state between sleeping and waking, when I saw the following
fourteen .illustrious, great dreams: to wit, an elephant, (6)
'O beloved of the
gods, what, to be sure, will be the happy result portended by
these fourteen illustrious, great dreams?' (7)
When the Brahmana
Rishabhadatta had heard and perceived this news from the
Brdhmant Devinanda, he, glad, pleased, and joyful (see § 5, down
to) rain-drops, firmly fixed the dreams (in his mind), and
entered upon considering them. He grasped the meaning of those
dreams with his own innate intellect and intuition, which were
preceded by reflection, and thus spoke to the Brahmani Devananda:
(8)
'O beloved of the
gods, you have seen illustrious dreams; O beloved of the gods,
you have seen beautiful, lucky, blest, auspicious, fortunate
dreams, which will bring health, joy, long life, bliss, and
fortune! We shall have success, O beloved of the gods, we shall
have pleasure; we shall have happiness, beloved of the gods, we
shall have a son! Indeed, beloved of the gods, after the lapse
of nine complete months and seven and a half days you will give
birth to a lovely and handsome boy with tender hands and feet,
with a body containing the entire and complete five organs of
sense, with the lucky signs, marks, and good qualities; a boy on
whose body all limbs will be well formed, and of full volume,
weight, and length, of a lovely figure like that of the moon!
(9) And this boy, after having passed his childhood, and, with
just ripened intellect, having reached the state of youth,will
repeat, fully understand, and well retain (in his mind) the four
Vedas: the Rig-veda, Yag-ur-veda, Sama-veda, Atharva-veda-to
which the Itihasa is added as a fifth, and the Nigghantu as a
sixth (Veda)-together with their Angas and Upangas, and the
Rahasya; he will know the six Angas, he will be versed in the
philosophy of the sixty categories, and well grounded in
arithmetic, in phonetics, ceremonial, grammar, metre, etymology,
and astronomy, and in many other brahmanical [and monastic]
sciences besides. (10) Therefore, O beloved of the gods, you
have seen illustrious dreams, (see § 9).
In this way he
repeatedly expressed his extreme satisfaction. (11)
When the Brahmani
Devananda had heard and perceived this news from the Brahmana
Rishabhadatta, she-glad, pleased, and joyful, (see § 5) joining
the palms of her hands, (see § 5, down to) and spoke thus: (12)
'That is so, O
beloved of the gods; that is exactly so, O beloved of the gods;
that is true, O beloved of the gods; that is beyond doubt, O
beloved of the gods; that is what I desire, O beloved of the
gods; that is what I accept, O beloved of the gods; that is what
I desire and accept, O beloved of the gods; that matter is
really such as you have pronounced it.'
Thus saying, she
accepted the true meaning of the dreams, and enjoyed together
with Rishabhadatta the noble permitted pleasures of human
nature. (13)
In that period, in
that age, Sakra,-the chief and king of the gods, the wielder of
the thunderbolt, the destroyer of towns, the performer of a
hundred sacrifices, the thousand-eyed one, Maghavan, the
punisher of the Daitya Paka, the lord of the southern half of
the earth, the lord of the thirty-two thousand celestial abodes,
the bestrider of the elephant Airavata, the chief of the Suras,
who wears spotless clothes and robes, and puts on garlands and
the diadem, whose cheeks were stroked by fine, bright, and
trembling earrings of fresh gold [the most prosperous, the most
brilliant, the most mighty, the most glorious, the most
powerful, and the most happy one], with a splendid body,
ornamented with a long down-reaching garland,-this Sakra was in
the Saudharma Kalpa, in the celestial abode Saudharma Avatamsaka,
in the council-hall Sudharman, on his throne Sakra; he who
exercises and maintains the supreme command, government,
management, guidance, direction, and sovereign power and
generalship over-the thirty-two thousand gods of the celestial
abodes, the eighty-four thousand gods of a rank equal with that
of himself, the thirty-two chief gods, the four guardians of the
world, the eight principal queens with their trains, the three
courts, the seven armies, and the seven commanders of these
armies. He was then enjoying the permitted pleasures of divine
nature under the great din of uninterrupted story-telling,
dramatical plays, singing, and music, as beating of time,
performance on the Vina, the Turya, the great drum, and the
Patupataha. (14)
And he viewed this
whole continent Gambudvipa with his extensive (knowledge called)
Avadhi. There he saw in the continent Gambadvipa, in
Bharatavarsha, in the southern half of Bharata, in the
brahmanical part of the town Kundagrama, the Venerable Ascetic
Mahivira taking the form of an embryo in the womb of the
Brahmani Devananda of the Galandharayana gotra, wife of the
Brahmana Rishabhadatta of the gotra of Kodala; and-glad,
pleased, and joyful in his mind, delighted, extremely
enraptured, with a heart widening under the influence of
happiness, with the hair of his body bristling and erect in
their pores like the fragrant flowers of Nipa when touched by
rain-drops, with his eyes and mouth open like full blown
lotuses, with his excellent, various, trembling bracelets, with
diadem and earrings, his breast lighted up by necklaces, wearing
long and swinging ornaments with a pearl pendant-the chief of
the gods rose with confusion, hasty and trembling from his
throne, descended from the footstool, took off his shoes which
were by a clever artist set with Vaidurya and excellent Rishta
and Añgana [names of precious stones], and ornamented with
glittering jewels and precious stones, threw his seamless robe
over his left shoulder, and, arranging the fingers of his hands
in the shape of a bud, he advanced seven or eight steps towards
the Tirthakara.
Bending his left
knee and reposing on the right one, he three times placed his
head on the ground and lifted it a little; then he raised his
bracelet-encumbered arms, and joining the palms of his hands so
as to bring the ten nails together, laid the hands on his head
and spoke thus: (15)
'Reverence to the
Arhats and Bhagavats; to the Adikaras, the Tirthakaras, the
perfectly-enlightened ones; to the highest of men, the lions
among men, the flowers among mankind 2, the Gandhahastins among
men; to the highest in the world, the guides of the world, the
benefactors of the world, the lights of the world, the
enlighteners of the world; to the givers of safety, to the
givers of sight, to the givers of the road, to the givers of
shelter, to the givers of life, to the givers of knowledge; to
the givers of the law, the preachers of the law, the lords of
the law, the leaders of the law, the universal emperors of the
best law; to the light, the help, the shelter, the refuge, the
resting-place, the possessors of unchecked knowledge and
intuition who have got rid of unrighteousness; to the conquerors
and the granters of conquest, the saved and the saviours, the
enlightened and the enlighteners, the liberated and the
liberators, to the all-knowing ones, the all-seeing ones, to
those who have reached the happy, stable, unstained, infinite,
unperishable, undecaying place, called the path of perfection,
whence there is no return; reverence to the Ginas who have
conquered fear.
'Reverence to the
Venerable Ascetic Mahavira, the Adikara, the last of the
Tirthakaras who was predicted by the former Tirthakaras, I here
adore the Revered One yonder, may the Revered One yonder see me
here!' With these words he adored, he worshipped the Venerable
Ascetic Mahavira, and sat down on his excellent throne facing
the east. Then the following internal, reflectional, desirable
idea occurred to the mind of Sakra, the chief of kings and gods:
(16)
'It never has
happened, nor does it happen, nor will it happen, that Arhats,
Kakravartins, Baladevas, or Vasudevas, in the past, present, or
future, should be born in low families, mean families, degraded
families, poor families, indigent families. beggars' families,
or brahmanical families. (17) For indeed Arhats, Kakravartins,
Baladevas, and Vasudevas, in the past, present, and future, are
born in high families, noble families, royal families,
noblemen's families, in families belonging to the race of
Ikshvaku, or of Hari. or in other such-like families of pure
descent on both sides. (18)
Now this is
something which moves the wonder of the world: it happens in the
lapse of numberless Avasarpinis and Utsarpinis, because the
imperishable, indescribable, and undestroyable Karman relating
to name and gotra must take effect, that Arhats, in the past,
present, and future, descend in (i.e. take the form of an embryo
in the womb of a woman belonging to) low families, but they are
never brought forth by birth from such a womb. (19) This
Venerable Ascetic Mahavira, now, in the continent Gambudvipa, in
Bharatavarsha, in the brahmanical part of the town Kundagrama,
has taken the form of an embryo in the womb of the Brahmani
Devananda of the Galandharayana gotra, wife of the Brahmana
Rishabhadatta of the gotra of Kodala. (20) Hence it is the
established custom of all past, present, and future Sakras,
chiefs and kings of the gods, to cause the Arhats and Bhagavats
to be removed from such-like low, mean, families, to such-like
high, noble, families. (21) It is, therefore, better that I
should cause the Venerable Ascetic Mahavira, the last of the
Tirthakaras who was predicted by the former Tirthakaras, to be
removed from the brahmanical part of the town Kundagrama, from
the womb of the Brahmani Devananda of the Gilandharayana gotra,
wife of the Brahmana Rishabhadatta of the gotra of Kodila, to
the Kshatriya part of the town Kundagrama, and to be placed as
an embryo in the womb of the Ksbatriyani Trisala of the
Vasishtha gotra, wife of the Kshatriya Siddhartha of the Kasyapa
gotra, belonging
to the clan of the Gñatri Kshatriyas; and to cause the embryo of
the Kshatriyani Trisala of the Vasishtha gotra to be placed in
the womb of the Brahmani Devanandi of the Galandharayana gotra.'
Thus he reflected
and called Harinegamesi, the divine commander of the foot
troops; having called him, he spoke thus: (22)
'Well, now,
beloved of the gods, it never has happened, (§§ 17-20 are
verbally repeated). (23-25)
'Therefore, go now
and remove the Venerable Ascetic Mahavira from the brahmanical
part, and place the embryo of the Kshatriyani Trisala.
(See § 21). Having
done this, return quickly to report on the execution of my
orders.' (26)
When Harinegamesi,
the divine commander of the foot troops, was thus spoken to by
Sakra, the chief and king of the gods, he-glad, pleased, and
joyful, (see § 15)-laid his folded hands on his head and
modestly accepted the words of command, saying 'Just as your
Majesty commands.' After this he left the presence of Sakra, the
chief and king of the gods, and descended towards the
northeastern quarter; then be transformed himself through his
magical power of transformation, and stretched himself out for
numerous Yoganas like a staff, (during which he seized) jewels,
Vagra, Vaidurya, Lohitaksha, Masaragalla, Hamsagarbha, Pulaka,
Saugandhika, Gyotisara, Añgana, Añganapulaka, Gatarupa, Subhaga,
Sphatika, and Rishta; (of these precious materials) he rejected
the gross particles, and retained the subtle particles. (27)
Then for a second time he transformed himself through his
magical power of transformation, and produced the definitive
form (which gods adopt on entering the world of men); having
done so, he passed with that excellent, hasty, trembling,
active, impetuous, victorious, exalted, and quick divine motion
of the gods right through numberless continents and oceans, and
arrived in Gambudvipa, in Bharatavarsha, in the brahmanical part
of the town Kundagrama, at the house of the Brahmana
Rishabhadatta, where the Brahmani Devinanda dwelt. Having
arrived there, he made his bow in the sight of the Venerable
Ascetic Mahavira, and cast the Brahmani Devananda, together with
her retinue, into a deep sleep; then he took off all unclean
particles, and brought forth the clean particles, and saying,
'May the Venerable One permit me,' he took the Venerable Ascetic
Mahivira in the folded palms of his hands without hurting him.
Thus he went to the Kshatriya part of the town Kundagrama, to
the house of the Kshatriya Siddhartha, where the Kshatriyani
Trisala dwelt; he cast her and her attendants into a deep sleep,
took off all unclean particles, and brought forth the clean
particles, and placed the embryo of the Venerable Ascetic
Mahivira in the womb of the Kshatriyani Trisala, and the embryo
of the Kshatriyani Trisala he placed in the womb of the Brihmani
Devinanda of the Gandhariyana gotra. Having done so, he returned
in that direction in which he had come,. (28) With that
excellent, (see § 28), divine motion of the gods, he flew
upwards right through numberless continents and oceans, taking
thousands of Yoganas in each motion, and arrived in the
Saudharma Kalpa, in the divine abode called Saudharma Avatamsaka,
where Sakra, the chief and king of the gods, sat on the throne
called Sakra, and reported to Sakra, the chief and king of the
gods, on the execution of his orders.
In that period, in
that age the knowledge of the Venerable Ascetic Mahavira was
threefold; he knew that he was to be removed; he knew that he
was removed; he knew not when he was being removed. (29)
In that period, in
that age, on the thirteenth day of the third month of the rainy
season, in the fifth fortnight, the dark (fortnight) of Asvina,
after the lapse of eighty-two days, on the eighty-third day
current (since his conception), the embryo of the Venerable
Ascetic Mahavira was, on the command of Sakra, safely removed by
Harinegamesi from the womb of the Brahmani Devinanda to that of
the Kshatriyani Trisala, in the middle of the night, when the
moon was in conjunction with the asterism Uttaraphalguni. (30)
End of the Second
Lecture.
Third
Lecture
In that night in
which the embryo of the Venerable Ascetic Mahavira was removed
from the womb of the Brahmani Devananda of the Galandharayana
gotra, to that of the Kshatriyani Trisala of the Vaasishtha
gotra, the former was on her couch taking fits of sleep in a
state between sleeping and waking; and seeing that these
fourteen illustrious, beautiful, lucky, blest, auspicious,
fortunate, great dreams were taken from her by the Kshatriyini
Trisala, she awoke. (31)
In that night in
which the embryo of the Venerable Ascetic Mahavira. was removed
from the womb of the Brahmani Devananda of the Galandharayana,
gotra to that of the Kshatriyani Trisala of the Vasishtha. gotra,
the latter was in her dwelling-place, of which the interior was
ornamented with pictures, and the outside whitewashed, furbished
and cleansed, the brilliant surface of the ceiling was painted,
the darkness was dispelled by jewels and precious stones, the
floor was perfectly level and adorned with auspicious figures;
which, moreover, was furnished with offerings of heaps of
delicious, fragrant, strewn flowers of all five colours, was
highly delightful through curling, scented fumes of black aloe,
the finest Kundurukka and Turuslika [Different kinds of the
resin of Boswellia], and burning frankincense; was exquisitely
scented with fine perfumes, and turned as it were into a
smelling-bottle; on a couch with a mattress of a man's length,
with pillows at head and foot, raised on both sides and hollow
in the middle, soft as if one walked on the sand of the banks of
the Ganges, covered with the cloth of a robe of ornamented
linen, containing a well-worked towel, and hung with red
mosquito curtains, delightful, soft to the touch like fur,
wadding, Pura [name of a tree], butter, or cotton, with all the
comforts of a bed, such as fragrant, excellent flowers and
sandal-powder-(in such a room and on such a bed Trisala was)
taking fits of sleep between sleeping and waking, and having
seen the following fourteen, (see § 3), dreams, viz. an
elephant, (see § 4), she awoke. (32)
1. Then Trisala
saw in her first dream a fine, enormous elephant, possessing all
lucky marks, with strong thighs and four mighty tusks; who was
whiter than an empty great cloud, or a heap of pearls, or the
ocean of milk, or the moon-beams, or spray of water, or the
silver mountain (Vaitadhya); whose temples were perfumed with
fragrant musk-fluid, which attracted the bees; equalling in
dimension the best elephant of the king of the gods (Airivata);
uttering a fine deep sound like the thunder of a big and large
rain-cloud. (33)
2. Then she saw a
tame, lucky bull, of a whiter hue than that of the mass of
petals of the white lotus, illumining all around by the
diffusion of a glory of light; (a bull) whose lovely,
resplendent, beautiful hump was delightful through the
collection of its charms, whose glossy skin (was covered with)
thin, fine, soft hairs; whose body was firm, well made,
muscular, compact, lovely, well proportioned, and beautiful;
-whose horns were large, round, excellently beautiful, greased
at their tops, and pointed; whose teeth were all equal, shining,
and pure. He foreboded innumerable good qualities. (34)
3. Then she saw a
handsome, handsomely shaped, playful lion, jumping from the sky
towards her face; a delightful and beautiful lion whiter than a
heap of pearls, (see § 33), who had strong and lovely fore-arms,
and a mouth adorned with round, large, and well-set teeth; whose
lovely lips, splendent through their proportions, and soft like
a noble lotus, looked as if they were artificially ornamented;
whose palate was soft and tender like the petals of the red
lotus, and the top of whose tongue was protruding; whose eyes
were like pure lightning, and revolved like red-hot excellent
gold just poured out from the crucible; (a lion) with broad and
large thighs, and with full and excellent shoulders, who was
adorned with a mane of soft, white, thin, long hair of the
finest quality; whose erect, well-shaped, and well-grown tail
was flapping; the tops of whose nails were deeply set and sharp;
whose beautiful tongue came out of his mouth like a shoot of
beauty. (35)
4. Then she, with
the face of the full moon, saw the goddess of famous beauty,
Sri, on the top of Mount Himavat, reposing on a lotus in the
lotus lake, anointed with the water from the strong and large
trunks of the guardian elephants. She sat on a lofty throne. Her
firmly placed feet resembled golden tortoises, and her dyed,
fleshy, convex, thin, red, smooth nails were set in swelling
muscles. Her hands and feet were like the leaves of the lotus,
and her fingers and toes soft and excellent; her round and
well-formed legs were adorned with the Kuruvindavarta [an
ornament, according to the commentary], and her knees with
dimples. Her fleshy thighs resembled the proboscis of an
excellent elephant, and her lovely broad hips were encircled by
a golden zone. Her large and beautiful belly was adorned by a
circular navel, and contained a lovely row of hairs (black as)
collyrium, bees, or clouds, straight, even, continuous, thin,
admirable, handsome, soft, and downy. Her waist, which contained
the three folds, could be encompassed with one hand. On all
parts of her body shone ornaments and trinkets, composed of many
jewels and precious stones, yellow and red gold. The pure
cup-like pair of her breasts sparkled, encircled by a garland of
Kunda flowers, in which glittered a string of pearls. She wore
strings of pearls made by diligent and clever artists, shining
with wonderful strings, a necklace of jewels with a string of
Dinaras, and a trembling pair of earrings, touching her
shoulders, diffused a brilliancy; but the united beauties and
charms of these ornaments were only subservient to the
loveliness of her face. Her lovely eyes were large and pure like
the water lily. She sprinkled about the sap from two lotus
flowers which she held in her splendid hands, and gracefully
fanned herself. Her glossy, black, thick, smooth hair hung down
in a braid. (36)
5. Then she saw,
coming down from the firmament, a garland charmingly interwoven
with fresh Mandara flowers. It spread the delicious smell of
Kampaka [Michelia Champaka], Asoka [Jonesia Asoka], Naga [Mesua
Roxburghii], Punnaga [Rottlera Tinctoria], Priyangu [Panicum
Italicum], Sirisha [Acacia Sirisa], Mudgara [a species of
jasmine], Mallika [Jasminum Zambac], Gati [Jasminum Grandiflorum],
Yuthika [Jasminum Auriculatum], Ankolla [Alangium Hexapetalum],
Korantakapatra [?], Damanaka [Artemisia Indica], Navamalika [Nykanthes
or Jasminum Zambac], Bakula [Mimusops Elengi], Tilaka [Clerodendum
Phlomoides or Symplocos Racemosa] Vasantika [Gaertnera Racemosa],
Nuphar, Nymphaea, Patala [Bignonia Suaveolens] , Kunda [Fragrant
Oleander], Atimukta [Disopyros Glutinos or Dalbergia Ougeinense]
and Mango; and perfumed the ten divisions of the universe with
its incomparably delightful fragrance. It was white through
wreaths of fragrant flowers of all seasons, and brilliant
through splendid, beautiful embellishments of many colours.
Towards it came humming swarms of different kinds of bees, and
filled with their sweet noise the whole neighbourhood.(37)
6. And the
moon:white as cow-milk, foam, spray of water, or a silver cup,
glorious, delighting heart and eyes, full, dispelling the
compact darkness of the thickest wilderness, whose crescent
shines at the end of the two halves of the month, opening the
blossoms of the groups of Nymphaeas, adorning the night,
resembling the surface of a well-polished mirror. She was of a
white hue, like a flamingo, the stars' head-ornament, the quiver
of Cupid's arrows, raising the waters of the ocean, burning as
it were disconsolate people when absent from their sweethearts,
the large, glorious, wandering headmark of the celestial
sphere-beloved in heart and soul by Rohini. Such was the
glorious, beautiful, resplendent full moon which the queen saw.
(38)
7. Then she saw
the large sun, the dispeller of the mass of darkness, him of
radiant form, red like the Asoka, the open Kimsuka, the bill of
a parrot, or the Guñgardha, the adorner of the lotus groups, the
marker of the starry host, the lamp of the firmament, throttling
as it were the mass of cold, the illustrious leader of the troop
of planets, the destroyer of night, who only at his rising and
setting may be well viewed, but (at all other times) is
difficult to be regarded, who disperses evil-doers that stroll
about at night, who stops the influence of cold, who always
circles round Mount Meru, whose thousand rays obscure the lustre
of other lights. (39)
8. Then she saw an
extremely beautiful and very large flag, a sight for all people,
of a form attractive to the beholders. It was fastened to a
golden staff with a tuft of many soft and waving peacock's
feathers of blue, red, yellow, and white colours, and seemed as
if it would pierce the brilliant, celestial sphere, with the
brilliant lion on its top, who was white like crystal,
pearlmother, Anka-stone, Kunda-flowers, spray-6f water, or a
silver cup. (40)
9. Then she saw a
full vase of costly metal splendent with fine gold, filled with
pure water, excellent, of brilliant beauty, and shining with a
bouquet of water lilies. It united many excellencies and
all-auspicious marks, and stood on a lotus (shaped foot),
shining with excellent jewels. It delighted the eyes, glittered
and illumined all about; it was the abode of happy Fortune, free
from all faults, fine, splendid, exquisitely beautiful, entwined
with a wreath of fragrant flowers of all seasons. (41)
10. Then she saw a
lake, called Lotus Lake, adorned with water lilies. Its yellow
water was perfumed by lotuses opening in the rays of the morning
sun; it abounded with swarms of aquatic animals, and fed fishes.
It was large, and seemed to burn through the wide-spreading,
glorious beauty of all kinds of lotuses. Its shape and beauty
were pleasing. The lotuses in it were licked by whole swarms of
gay bees and mad drones. Pairs of swans, cranes, Kakravakas,
ducks, Indian cranes, and many other lusty birds resorted to its
waters, and on the leaves of its lotuses sparkled water-drops
like pearls. It was a sight, pleasing to the heart and the eye.
(42)
Then she whose
face was splendid like the moon in autumn, saw the milk-ocean,
equalling in beauty the breast of Lakshmi, which is white like
the mass of moon-beams. Its waters increased in all four
directions, and raged with ever-changing and, moving,
excessively high waves. It presented a splendid and pleasant
spectacle as it rushed to and from the shore with its
wind-raised, changeable, and moving billows, its tossing waves,
and its rolling, splendid, transparent breakers. From it issued
camphor-white foam under the lashing (tails) of great porpoises,
fishes, whales, and other monsters of the deep. Its agitated
waters were in great uproar, occasioned by the vortex Gangavarta,
which the vehemence and force of the great rivers produced; they
rose, rushed onwards and backwards, and eddied. (43)
12. Then she saw a
celestial abode excelling among the best of its kind, like the
lotus (among flowers). It shone like the morning sun's disk, and
was of a dazzling beauty. Its thousand and eight excellent
columns (inlaid with) the best gold and heaps of jewels diffused
a brilliant light like a heavenly lamp, and the pearls fastened
to its curtains glittered. It was hung with brilliant divine
garlands, and decorated with pictures of wolves, bulls, horses,
men, dolphins, birds, snakes, Kinnaras, deer, Sarabhas, Yaks,
Samsaktas, elephants, shrubs, and plants. There the Gandharvas
performed their concerts, and the din of the drums of the gods,
imitating the sound of big and large rain-clouds, penetrated the
whole inhabited world. It was highly delightful through
curling,, scented fumes of black aloe, the finest Kundurukka and
Turushka, burning frankincense and other perfumes. It (shed)
continuous light, was white, of excellent lustre, delighting the
best of gods, and affording joy and pleasure. (44)
13. Then she saw
an enormous heap of jewels containing Pulaka, Vagra, Indranila,
Sasyaka, Karketana, Lohitaksha, Marakata, Prabala, Saugandhika,
Sphatika, Hamsagarbha, Añgana, and Kandrakanta. Its base was on
the level of the earth, and it illumined with its jewels even
the sphere of the sky. It was high and resembled Mount Meru.
(45)
14. And a fire.
She saw a fire in vehement motion, fed with much-shining and
honey-coloured ghee, smokeless, crackling, and extremely
beautiful with its burning flames. The mass of its flames, which
rose one above the other, seemed to interpenetrate each other,
and the blaze of its flames appeared to bake the firmament in
some places. (46)
After having seen
these fine, beautiful, lovely, handsome dreams, the lotus-eyed
queen awoke on her bed while the hair of her body bristled for
joy.
Every mother of a
Tirthakara sees these fourteen dreams in that night in which the
famous Arhat enters her womb. (46 b)
End of the Third
Lecture. |
